


love, hope and misery

by emilia_kaisa



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendzone, How Do I Tag, Not Beta Read, lincoln really loves jake bugg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-10 17:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6997420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilia_kaisa/pseuds/emilia_kaisa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say it comes in threes- love, hope and misery.<br/>OR<br/>Lincoln loves medicine and playing his guitar; and someday he will tell his best friend that she's the love of his life. But someday seemes to be very, very far away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. broken

**Author's Note:**

> I love static quake (still in denial) and Jake Bugg so here we go with another multichapter au! I guess it'll have 5 or 6 chapters. I'll try to update weekly because I've my exams coming and I can't write as much as I'd like to. So here we go, hope you enjoy!   
> (As always, grammar and typos are my weak points.)  
> (Every chapter is named after Jake Bugg's song.)

 

Lincoln sighed and rubbed his tired eyes, letting his head to rest on a pillow behind him. He glared at his night table and blinked in surprise when a clock showed 2.30am. Damn, again he got lost in studying, not for the first time and probably not for the last. Perks of being a pre- med. Lucky for him he liked that; he liked sience, chemistry, mysteries of biology. And he liked the idea of helping people i future, of curing them and giving them hope.

He closed the book in front of him and decided that he could use a cup of tea. He felt a bit dyhadrated after such a long session of reading about heart. Lincoln jumped off his bed, which was taking almost all his tiny bedroom (seriously, the room was so tiny it had only a bed and a small wardrobe and maybe a thirty centimetres of the floor between the bed and the wall). To be honest his whole apartment was small; one living room, tiny bathroom and even tinier kitchen. His aunt had given him that place a few moments earlier, when she had decided to spend her retirement on backpacking through Asia. She was a wild spirit and practicallt the only member of his family Lincoln felt close to; not that he didn’t love his parents because he did, he really did. But life with them wasn’t easy so he was relieved when he could move out.

Lincoln prepared himself a small mug of tea and sat on a sofa, looking at the world behind a window. Well, the only thing he could see were some skyscrapers but even them looked peaceful in the middle of the night. And then, when he was ready to head up to bed (he had biology in the morning and he had to be focused), someone knocked to his door, not too loudly but definitely impatiently. Lincoln narrowed his eyes, wondering who could that be. He had his suspicion but he really hoped it wasn’t her because when she was appearing on his doorstep in the middle of the night she was usually drunk or in tears. Or both.

Lincoln opened the door and yeah, definitely both.

‘Hello, Lincoln.’ Daisy said, grinning at him with comically wide eyes.

‘Daisy.’ he sighed and opened his door wider; Daisy passed him immediately and entered his apartment.

They knew each other since they were little kids but they had became friends in high school. He was the calm one and she was that cool, cheerfull girl everyone liked. She had her ups and downs and he was the one who was always there for her, laughing with her or letting her cry on his shoulder. Now they were in collage and they were still close although they weren’t spending so much time together as they used to; she had made a lot of new friends and he was focusing on his studies. But in the end he was still the one who she was coming to.

Daisy was standing next to the sofa, suddenly very interested in his rug. She didn’t look at him when he made his way to her.

‘What’s the matter, Daisy?’ Lincoln asked softly because as much tired he was or how irritated he should feel he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to help her.

‘It’s over.’ she mumbled, her eyes still glued to the floor. 

‘What?’ he asked although he had a sinking feeling about it growing in his stomach. Because they had been in a situation like that a few times before.

‘Grant broke up with me.’ she said a bit louder; she finally raised her head and look him in the eyes and there were no tears in her eyes. Good. He wasn’t worth it. 

‘I’d say that I’m sorry.’ Lincoln said quietly, touching gently her wrist ‘But you know that you’re better off without him.’ 

He never liked Daisy’s latest boyfriend; selfish, racist guy with dark eyes and dangerous smile. He was glad that he was gone but he felt bad that Daisy had been left again. She had enough of that in her life and Lincoln thought that was why she was never a single for too long- because she liked to have someone close, she needed that like the air.

‘I know.’ Daisy said quietly ‘Can I stay here?’

‘Of course.’ 

He grabbed one of his t- shirts and handed it to her before she went to take a shower. Man, maybe she should leave her pyjamas at his place.

Daisy left the bathroom and headed stright to Lincoln’s bed. Lucky for him his sofa was comfortable. 

‘Sleep tight.’ Lincoln said, covering her with a blanket but her voice stopped him.

‘Can you stay with me?’ her voice was quiet and weak and of course he would stay.

The clock was showing 3.40am and he really should sleep but who he was to deny her anything?

‘This is like a boat.’ Daisy mumbler and Lincoln chuckled quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed. 

‘Like a giant boat. And you’re a captain.’

‘You say I’m the captain of my own bed?’ he asked, trying to stop himslef from laughing.

‘Exactly.’

They were sitting in silence and after a moment Lincoln was sure that he was asleep but when he was about to leave, Daisy’s sleepy voice stopped him.

‘Could you play something for me?’ she asked quietly, as if she was unsure, and Lincoln smiled warmly. 

‘Sure.’ 

He grabbed his guitar from the corner and sat down again, playing a few chords.

Music was his passion, just after medicine. It helped him through some rough moments and he still liked to go sometimes to some pubs with open stage and play something from time to time. He wasn’t writing his own songs but he was pretty good at covers.

_ I'll wait here for you for I'm broken  _ he sang and Daisy shifted under her blanket, making a quiet, sleepy sound and Lincoln’s heart stuttered.

God, he loved her so much.

_ Down by the people if they let you breathe. Don't give a damn if you still can't see, still my heart beats for you.  _ His voice cracked a bit but he kept singing, looking at Daisy’s fragile silhouette.

He was always there for her, through her all relationships. He was waiting through all her boyfriends, since Miles, John, Trip- the only one of her boyfriends that was actually decent- and Grant. 

_ Break story of peace and love in a future. Bright sacrifice came around, never broken. _

It all had happened maybe a year before. They had been on a mountain trip with their friends; it had been beautiful and calm and just what Lincoln loved. They had been sitting across a bonfire, laughing, and Lincoln just had glared at Daisy and he was gone. He had fallen in love with his best friend.

_ Down in the valley where the church bells cry, I'll lead them over to your eyes! Whoa, oh, I am one. _

Lincoln had no idea what to do. Should he tell her? Maybe he should but he was freaking scared. He was always telling Fitz that he should tell Jemma about his feelings, that he would regret in the future, but he couldn’t follow his onw advice. Because he was sure that she didn’t share those feelings and he wouldn’t bear losing her because of his stupid feelings. So it had to be enough.

_ I am one. _


	2. Fallin'

 

Lincoln poured coffee to his biggest mug and glanced at his phone; he needed to leave in ten minutes or he’ll be late for class and that was not a thing he was looking forward to.

Daisy was still asleep, buried under the blankets.

‘Wake up.’ he said with a smile forming on his lips ‘Daaaisy.’ he poked her nose and she made a muffled, sleepy sound; she covered her head with a blanket and Lincoln’s heart melted.

‘I’ve made you coffee.’ he said ‘But if you don’t want it...’ 

Daisy peeked from under the covers and Lincoln almost chuckled.

‘I’ve to run for a class but you can stay here, you know when my spare keys are.’

‘I’m staying here forever.’ she mumbled, sitting up and Lincoln shook his hand, handing her the mug.

‘Here you go.’

Daisy took it with a grateful sigh and sipped immediately.

‘How are you doing?’ Lincoln asked, just to know if she would be fine.

‘Men are jerks.’ Daisy stated firmly and Lincoln chuckled at her words.

‘Wow, I’m not feeling offended at all...’

‘Except you, of course.’ Daisy said with a roll of her eyes but then she smiled softly ‘You’re the only man I need.’

Oh.

‘Cure you hungover.’ he said and left the room beofore he had a chance to say or do something stupid.

***

Lincoln slipped onto his chair and smiled at Jemma, who gave him a weak smile. She was more pale tha usual and Lincoln could see dark circles under her eyes.

‘Rough night?’ he asked innocently and Jemma groaned.

‘I fell like I have a jelly instead of a brain. A vodka jelly.’ she said and Lincoln snorted at that statement.

‘So why are you here?’ he asked and Jemma looked at him as if he was crazy. Right. She had never missed a class, no matter how tired or hungover she was.

‘Stupid question.’ Lincoln smiled slightly ‘Daisy’s taking a day off.’

‘On your couch?’ Jemma asked with raised eyebrows and Lincoln nodded because really, she didn’t had to know the details.

‘She didn’t take it well. There was a lot of crying and a lot of vodka.’ Jemma sighed and Lincoln’s heart clenched. He might never liked the guy but he hated to see Daisy sad, let down by yet another man.

‘She’ll be fine.’ Jemma said with a soft smile, noticing how his face changed.

‘She will.’ he agreed quietly.

He will be fine, too.

***

When Lincoln reached his apartment he discovered that the door weren’t locked. That meant that Daisy was still inside and Lincoln didn’t know if he was happy or scared about it. He took a deep breathe and decided to get his shit together. Just play it cool, Campbell, play it cool. 

He pushed the door and all thoughts about playing it cool went away at the sight of Daisy, still wearing his shirt, preparing something in the kitchen and singing  _ Say it right _ way too loud. Lincoln seriously wondered if he should turn around and run away but in that moment Daisy spotted him and her face lit up.

‘Lincoln!’ she exclaimed cheerfully and waved to him with a spoon ‘I’m making you pasta. As a thank you for letting me stay. Again.’

Daisy was cooking? It was a miracle that the kitchen wasn’t already on fire. 

Suprisingly, the past was pretty good. Maybe a bit burned but definitely edible and that was a big progress. 

‘So, what are your plans for tonight?’ Daisy asked when they finished eating and it took Lincoln a while to realize it was Friday. 

‘Watching Netflix?’ he shrugged his shoulders. Maybe he would play his guitar a bit, maybe read something which wasn’t about science. He wasn’t a party person; he liked to hang out with his friends from time to time but he wasn’t a fan of crowded parties filled with alcohol and shitty music.

Daisy sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes.

‘We’re going out. Bobbi’s throwing a party.’

‘But...’

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Bobbi- she was awesome and Lincoln liked her but her kind of party definitely wasn’t his. She was living in a big house with garden, her parents mostly absent, so her parties were always wild, filled with too much drinking, too much people, too much everything. Definitely not for him.

‘Nope. You’re coming with me.’ Daisy said firmly ‘You can’t sit here like some kind of a monk.’

‘Maybe I want to be a monk.’ he tried but she just rolled her eyes.

‘You don’t. It starts at 7pm.’

He didn’t stand a chance against Daisy’s will, really. All he could do was to sigh and nod his head in agreement.

***

Yeah, that was a total mistake.

Lincoln sighed as he was walking through a crowded room, people bumping into him and never apologize. He was determined to find some air that wasn’t thick with sweat and alcohol. Daisy was somewhere there, dancing and having fun so he was sure she would be totally fine without him.

‘This is insane, mate.’ he heard a familiar voice on his right so he turned a bit to see who was sharing the same misery as him ‘I mean, I’ve nothing against a good party but this...’ Lance Hunter shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

Lincoln liked Lance; he was sassy and funny, and pretty clever. He was pretending to be a tough guy but Lincoln knew that inside he was a big softie.

‘Let’s find somewhere less irritaiting.’ Lance patted his shoulder and Lincoln followed him immediately. They stopped by a kitchen where Lance grabbed a few bottles of beer and then led them outside, to the garden. It was much calmer there; music was muffled a bit and there were only two couples, hidden in the soft shadow and nope, Lincoln wasn’t jealous at all.

Okay, maybe a little.

They sat on a bench under a pretty nice tree and Lance handed him a bottle.

‘Thanks for that.’ Lincoln said, tilting his head in the direction of the house ‘I was going crazy.’

‘No problem.’ Lance shrugged his shoulders and took a big sip ‘Just here for Bobbi.’

‘I get you.’ Lincoln sighed and sipped from his bottle.

‘Oh, bloody hell.’ Lance almost yelled when Ariana Grande’s song started playing inside the house ‘I’m going to kill the fucking dj!’

‘I’ll help you hide the body.’ Lincoln offered ‘By the way, you've just quoted Green Day.’

Lance stared at him for a moment and then he laughed shortly.

‘You’re my new best friend.’

‘I’ll drink to that.’

Another thing Lincoln didn’t like about parties was alcohol. Well, he didn’t have anythig against it but he had an incredibly weak head. Usually after two beers he wanted to sleep or just startet babbling, talking too much and definitely regretting it in the morning (luckily almost nobody remembered it).

And now, after three beers, his mind was pretty blurred. 

‘Okay, man, I’ve a plan.’ Lance said, his face dead serious and Lincoln realized with diffculty that his friend had at least three more bottles than him ‘I’m going to be a fucking dj.’

‘You’re really going to kill him?’ Lincoln asked because seriosuly, Lance looked scary.

‘Nah. I bet he’s more drunk than me.’ Lance said standing up ‘You coming?’

‘Yeah.’ 

He should probably find Daisy, check if everything was okay. And then he would go home and get some sleep. Man, he really wanted to sleep.

Lincoln entered the house and he almost immediately spotted Daisy; she was standing in a quiet corner of a corridor, close to the door.

‘Hi.’ he greeted her, trying to say it not too loudly.

Daisy narrowed her eyes for a second but then she smiled.

‘Where were you? And are you drunk?’

‘With Lance. In the garden. It’s a nice garded. Why do you think I’m drunk?’ great, he started babbling and he couldn’t force himself to shut up.

‘Because you really try to pretend that you’re not.’ she laughed and his heartbeat quickened. She was so amazing. Maybe he should tell her that, his brain was screaming that it was a great idea. But nope, he still had some self control left.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked because to be honest she looked far less enthiusiastic that she had looked before the party.

Daisy sighed quietly and looked at him with a bit of sadness in her eyes.

‘I’m... wait, what is this?’

Apparently Lance became a dj because instead high- pitched screaming Lincoln heard a familiar guitar chords and he couldn’t help but smile widely.

_ Oh baby I know your lying, look how hard I’m trying but don’t you know that I know now? _

‘Oh God, I see you and Lance get along.’ Daisy said with a roll of her eyes.

‘You have to admit that your ears were bleeding.’ 

‘Whatever.’ she chuckled.

_Don’t let me see you crying, sometimes I feel like dying, but don’t you feel alone, when you’re with me now?_  
‘Shit.’ Daisy hissed suddenly, looking over Lincoln’s shoulder.

‘What?’ he blinked at the anger on her face. He could feel himself getting more sober with every moment.

‘This asshole’s walking over here.’ she hissed and Lincoln immediately knew who she was talking bout.

_ You don’t want to speak to me, something’s wrong I can see and I know I’m not the only one. _

‘I can punch him.’ Lincoln offered although he was sure Ward would beat the shit out of him.

Daisy just looked at him as if he was crazy- well, he was drunk- and just shook her head.

‘What can I do?’

She looked at him, her face serious.

‘I’ve got an idea.’

Lincoln shrugged his shoulders.

‘Everything.’

_ Look to the sky, you can see me falling. Falling for you, oh I must be in love. _

Daisy shot one more look over his shoulder and a second later she was standing right in front of him, her hands grabbing his shirt.

What?

_ In the trees, in the sky, in the seas, tell me the place where you hide. _

She kissed him and he sobered in one second.

_ Look to the sky, you can see me falling. Falling for you, oh I must be in love. Hear me now, you can hear me calling, calling to you to say I had enough? _   


 


	3. all your reasons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait guys! I had exams (I had the last one today) and I simply didn't have time to write. But now I'm back and I hope you're still with my and you still enjoy the story!

 

Suddenly everything was sharp and bright, his mind clear and music loud in his ears.

It was so wrong.

Lincoln wanted to wrap his arms around Daisy, pull her close and just forget that it was one big lie.

So, so wrong.

So he gathered all his strength and pulled away, wondering briefly why she hadn’t done that yet.

Daisy looked at him for a short moment and Lincoln couldn’t see anything in them; then she glared over his shoulder and Lincoln turned around. Ward was looking at them with shock on his face and Lincoln mentally prepared himself to get beaten up. But after a moment Grant just turned around and walked away.

Daisy exhaled deeply, with relief.

‘Thanks.’ she said lightly and Lincoln just stared at her, unable to say anything or even to smile. He wanted to scream, to laugh hyserically, to kiss her, to run away. His heart was beating loudly in his chest, his whole body hurt from that violent movement.

Daisy’s face changed a little, concern flashing in her eyes.

‘Hey, are you okay?’ she reached out to touch his arm but he took a step back, totally without thinking; he just knew he wouldn’t stand her touch.

Lincoln knew that he was acting weirdly but he just couldn’t force himself to do anything.

Pathetic.

Daisy looked at him and he knew that she wanted to say something and he wasn’t ready, he didn’t want to, he couldn’t. And then the rescue appeared.

‘There you are! I was looking for you.’ Lance said a bit too lously, putting a hand on Lincoln’s shoulder ‘Hi, Daisy.’ 

Daisy nodded in his direction; her eyes were focused on Lincoln and he could feel his knees weakening.

‘I’ll walk you home, mate, what do you think?’ Hunter asked lightly and Lincoln nodded quickly.

‘Great, let’s go. See you, Daisy.’ Hunter grabbed Lincoln’s sleeve and started dragging him out of the house. They were almost outside when Lincoln heard Daisy’s voice.

‘Take care of him!’

‘Will do!’ Hunter yelled and pushed Lincoln outside. They slowed down when they reached a pavement. 

They were walking in silence for a few minutes when Lincoln finally managed to make a sound.

‘Thank you.’ he said with diddiculty, feeling a little sick. But he was really grateful for everything Hunter was doing for him.

Hunter nodded and after a second in spoke in surprisingly soft voice.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘For what?’ 

Hunter didn’t answer right away and, he just looked at him with sympathy and compassion. Lincoln inhaled deeply, wishing for the world to stop spinning.

‘Am I that obvoius.’ he finally asked and Hunter shook his head.

‘Not really. But I saw...’ he sighed and shrugged his shoulders ‘I’m really sorry.’

‘It’s fine.’ Lincoln said because really, what could he say? He was feeling awful. He felt dull pain in his chest, his head hurt and he wanted to throw up. Everything sucked.

‘It’s not.’ Hunter said ‘And if you really think it’s okay then it’s something wrong with you.’

Lincoln laughed, shortly and bitterly.

‘I’m in love with my best friend, there’s definitely something wrong with me.’

Hunter sighed and shook his head as if he was disappointed.

‘Don’t apologize for your feelings. You’re just a human, Lincoln.’ 

Those were wise words and Lincoln knew it but to be honest he was too tired to think about them. He was so tired he just wanted to sleep and forget about that night.

They were quiet until they reached Lincoln’s door and Hunter spoke again, his eyes serious.

‘Don’t blame yourself.’

Lincoln blinked in surprise, wondering how Lance knew him so well.

‘Daisy didn’t act cool, you know.’

‘But she doesn’t know.’ Lincoln said quickly, feeling an urge to defend her. It wasn’t her fault.

‘Maybe she should.’ Hunter said quietly and patted Lincoln’s shoulder ‘Sleep tight.’ 

A moment later Lincoln collapsed on his bed, hoping that sleep would take everything away.

He woke up with a dry throat and heavy head. Seriously, no more alcohol. He would love to catch some more sleep but his need for something to drink was to strong so he got up slowly, cursing loudly at the headache. After slow and painful walk he reached the kitchen where he poured himself a glass of water. And then another one. And then he boiled water and prepare tea. He decided that he would skip breakfast. 

Lincoln sat down on a sofa and sighed, taking a big sip from his mug. Sadly, he still remembered everything from the last night. It was so messed up it wasn’t funny. Lincoln knew he had to figure out how to act around Daisy without giving himself away but in that moment he didn’t feel able to do that. He just wanted to have a calm day, without stressing out about anything. He could have that, right?

Apparently not.

He heard a scratching of a key and a second later the door opened and Daisy appeared, holding a shopping bag in her hand and okay, his heart skipped a beat. Right, she took the spare key last time she was here. That wasn’t fair, really. He just wanted to have a chill day and now he had to focus on keeping his stupid feelings in charge.

‘Hi.’ Daisy said lightly, like nothing had happened and Lincoln didn’t know if he was happy about it or not ‘I brought you something to eat, I know your fridge is empty.’

‘Thanks. You didn’t have to.’ Lincoln said, watching her carefully. Daisy just smiled and started taking groceries out of the bag.

‘How are you feeling?’ she asked and Lincoln shrugged his shoulders.

‘I’m fine.’ 

Daisy just nodded and Lincoln hoped that she would just leave the groceries and go but no, she poured herself a glass of orange juice and sat on the sofa next to him. His heart sped up and he moved his leg a bit so it wasn’t touching Daisy. Hopefully she didn’t notice that.

They were sitting in sielnce for a moment and Lincoln started to feel a little uncomfortable, a memory from the last night clear and sharp in front of him. He wanted to say something but everything sounded pretty risky for him.

So it was Daisy who broke the silence.

‘I’m sorry about yeasterday.’ she said, her serious face didn’t match her previous smile.

Her words sting but it wasn’t as painful as he expected.

‘Technically it was today.’ he tried to joke but Daisy’s face remained unchanged. Not a good sign.

‘Don’t worry. Alcohol told you that it was a good idea.’

‘I wasn’t drunk.’ Daisy sighed and Lincoln’s heart stuttered. Just stay calm, stay calm. ‘And I shouldn’t use you like that.’

‘It’s okay.’ he said and he meant it; he could see how bad Daisy was feeling about it ‘Just don’t do it again.’ he said, hiding behind his light voice how important those words were. He didn’t want to be in situation like that ever again. He was good in hiding his feeling but temted like that he would probably do something stupid.

‘Okay.’ Daisy smiled brightly at him; she patted his knee slightly and stood up.

‘I gotta run. I’ve date.’

Great. Everything was going so nicely and now he had to bear with his stupid hammering heart again. 

‘Have fun.’ that was all Lincoln managed to say. Suddenly his head was feeling heavy again.

‘Thanks. I’ll call you, okay?’

‘Sure.’

Daisy left the apartment and Lincoln sighed, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. Maybe Hunter was right. Maybe he should tell her. It was always so easy to say, do something or you would regret for the rest of your life but he was a goddamn coward and the truth was too scary and too heavy for him to say.

__ There's a lot I need to tell you  
There's a lot you should know  
Oh anyway, it's been a long, long day 


	4. Tuesday morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm such an awful person for delivering you this weak chapter after such a long wait. I'm on a summer language course right now so yeah, thing's are crazy! Hope you enjoy anyway!

 

Everything seemed to get back to normal. Daisy was totally over Ward and she made sure that everyone knew it. She was going out with that James guy from time to time but she was stating that it was nothing serious.

‘I’m not setting myself for another heartbreak.’ she said, taking a sip from her bottle ‘But I’m not going to turn into a nun because of a few jerks.’

‘Great.’ Lincoln said, trying not to sound too sarcastic ‘Because I wouldn’t survive your another breakup.’

She thrown popcorn at him playfully and Lincoln smiled slightly to himself. He was doing pretty good. Now they were sitting in Daisy and Jemma’s apartment, waiting for the rest of a gang. He had arrived a bit earlier so they decided to start eating popcorn without them. A punishment for being late.

Things were good between them; Daisy was her usual sunny self and she had no idea. Which was good. And Lincoln? He was doing okay. He was slowly getting used to it, to his quickened heartbeat and heat overwhelming his body in Daisy’s presence. It would someday go away, right?

‘What’s your plans for holiday?’ Daisy asked suddenly and shrugged his shoulders; they had a month till finals and honestly, he had no idea what he would like to do after that.

‘I have none. Maybe I’ll go for a mountain trip?’ mountains were always a good idea ‘What about you?’

Daisy was silent for a moment before she spoke.

‘My mom wants me to go to Europe with her.’

Wow.

‘That’s great.’ Lincoln said honestly; Jiaying was a businesswoman and she was hoping that one day Daisy would follow in her footsteps. And come on, Europe! Lincoln would kill to see Vienna in person.

‘You think so?’ Daisy asked doubtfully ‘We’re talking about my mom.’

Jiaying and Daisy were to similiar, to much alike and theat usually led to loud confrontations and yelling- Lincoln remembered that from his high school times too well. But in the end they were family and it could always go above they harsh words and loud voices.

‘Daisy, go.’ Lincoln said firmly and Daisy gave him a broad smile. He just wanted all the new experiences for her and well, not seeing her for a couple of weeks could do good things to his miserable feelings.

Jemma reached the apartement ten minutes later with Fitz by her side; Bobbi and Hunter came in a few minutes later.

It was a great night; they were watching _Star Wars_ , drinking beer- Lincoln was sipping one through the whole thing- and laughing. It was good and he could almost ignore that aching pressure next to his heart; but that was pretty hard to do when Daisy’s leg was brushing his from time to time and she was looking at him with eyes bright with happiness.

 

Lincoln was sitting on the floor, legs crossed and his biggest mug of tea next to him. He was holding a guitar in his hands and in front of him was his ridiculously huge biology book.

_‘Veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart .’_ he sang, hitting the strings. Maybe he was going crazy, he didn’t really care. He was so focused on studying that sometimes felt like his brain was burning. And that was totally one of those moments. He still had three weeks till the finals but hey, it was medicine, he needed a lifetime to master it anyway.

_‘The de-[ oxygenated ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen)  blood is taken by veins to the  [ right atrium ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_atrium)  of the heart.’ _ Lincoln yelled so loudly he almost didn’t hear knocking to the front door. He put his guitar down and stoos up quickly, wondering who it might be. Hopefully no one important, because he looked like shit in his oldest t-shirt and grey sweatpants. He opened the door and met Fitz and Hunter’s big smiles.

‘Oh, hi guys. What are you doing here?’

‘We’re bringing you back to the world of living.’ Lance said and moved past him, entering Lincoln’s apartment; Fitz followed him, a wide grin on his face. Lincoln closed the door, confused, and looks at his friends.

‘Seriously, guys, it’s not a good time, I’m totally snowed under.’

‘Yeah, I see.’ Lance said, pointing the guitar ‘Look, we haven’t seen you for a week, it’s time to take a break.’

‘Today’s an open mic night at Stanley’s Pub.’ Fitz added ‘Come on, man, just one night.’

Lincoln sighed quietly and shrugged his shoulders. He knew he should study, he really did, but at the same time he was in that stage when his brain just couldn’t handle more informations. And he couldn’t remember last time he had been playing in front of the public. So yeah, maybe it wasn’t the worst idea.

‘Okay, guys. Just give me a moment to change.’

 

When they walked in to the pub Lincoln immediately felt better. People’s voices, smell of beer and old wood and the weight of guitar in his hand- it always made him feel good and relaxed. Stanley, the pub owner, smiled to him from across the counter.

‘Hey Linc! Long time no see!’

‘Yeah, too long.’ Lincoln smiled ‘Good to be back.’

‘Good to have you back, kid.’ Stanley grinned at him ‘You’re on the list right after Johnny.’

‘Oh, that’s gonna be fun.’

Johnny was an usual performer, famous- or infamous- of his voice. But oh well, he tried.

_‘_ I see the girls over there.’ Fitz said and waved. Lincoln followed his eyes and saw Jemma and Daisy, who were smiling at them from across the pub.

‘You can do this, mate.’ Hunter said, quietly enough so Fitz didn’t hear. Lincoln wasn’t sure what exactly he meant but he was grateful anyway. They made their way to the girl’s table and sat down, talking and sipping their beers. Lincoln was just trying not to look at Daisy too much and to relax.

‘So, Lincoln, what song will you sing?’ Jemma asked and he shrugged his shoulders.

‘I was thinking about...’ he didn’t finish because in that moment Johnny started singing and everybody had to take a sip of a beer to survive that torture.

Luckily it didn’t last long and fifteen minutes later Lincoln got up from his chair, ready to head out to the stage.

‘Good luck!’ Daisy smiled and his stupid heart of course skipped a beat.

‘Kill it, man.’ Hunter patted Lincoln’s shoulder and Fitz and Jemma grinned at him.

Walking up on the stage, Lincoln started to feel excitement buzzing in his veins. He had missed that feeling. A few people from the public apparently knew him because he could hear some whistles and his name called two or three times. He smiled to himself, just happy that he was there.

Lincoln patted the microphone slightly.

‘Hi guys.’ he spoke ‘Great to see you tonight. My name’s Lincoln’ he glared on his left and saw Daisy’s eyes focused on him and in that moment he made a decision ‘and this is a song by Jake Bugg.’

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

And then he started singing.

_The feeling I get when the sky turns blue,_   
_Is to see when my love goes to you,_   
_And then on Tuesday I saw the sunrise,_   
_Then all I saw, saw you in my eyes._

He opened his eyes and looked directly at Daisy because she was the only person he could see in that moment.

_When the sunshine follows love,_   
_I'll follow you to the sky above,_   
_The night was the best night of our lives,_   
_As we looked at the Tuesday night skies._

Maybe he didn’t have enough courage to tell Daisy how he felt but he could sing his heart out in front of her. In that moment, he was brave.

_I looked at you and then I realised,_  
 _That all long my eyes had been telling me lies,_  
 _When you look back it struck my heart,_  
 _From then I never wished to be apart._  
  
_When the sunshine follows love,_  
 _I'll follow you to the sky above,_  
 _The night was the best night of our lives,_  
 _As we looked at the Tuesday night skies._

He just hoped that she would understand. He wanted just that one, tiny thing.

_Even though your heart was, was someone else,  
You can't deny the love that we felt. _

 

 


	5. simple as this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter! Hope you enjoy!

 

When Lincoln stopped singing the world was quiet for a short moment, and then the pub exploded with ovations. He opened his eyes and the bright light hit him, making it hard to see anything. People were cheering up and yelling, demanding more, but suddenly he felt exhausted.

‘Thanks.’ he muttered to the microphone and jumped off the stage, heading to the exit; he needed air.

Outside, he leaned against the wall and inhaled deeply, feeling his lungs with chilly night air.

He was wondering if Daisy figured it out; a part of him wanted that, but another part was scared. If she didn’t feel the same way then he lost her. And that... that was something he didn’t want to think about.

Lincoln heard crack of the door and then a familiar voice.

‘Good song.’ Daisy said, standing next to him ‘You were awesome.’

‘Thank you.’ Lincoln managed to say despite his suddenly dry lips ‘Glad you like it.’

It was a moment of thruth. If she suspected something she should say that now. And if she didn’t... Well, Lincoln had no idea what he would do either way.

He didn’t say anything, just waiting with a pounding heart.

‘So’ Daisy started, smiling casually ‘are you hiding in here from your crazy fangirls?’

‘I don’t have any fangirls.’

‘Oh, you haven’t see those girls.’ Daisy chuckled ‘They were staring at you as if you were Ricky Martin.’

‘Really?’ Lincoln haven’t noticed because he had been staring at Daisy the whole time. But now she started that subject and he saw an opportunity to maybe find out how... how did she feel about him.

‘Yeah.’ she nodded, smiling broadly ‘You should go and meet some nice girls, stop with your monk lifestyle.’

His heart stopped only to started galloping after a second. But he had to be sure.

‘So you think’ he swallowed hard, feeling a lump in his throat ‘that I should find someone? Like... a girlfriend?’

Daisy narrowed her eyes for the shortest of moments but she didn’t stop smiling.

‘I don’t want you to be lonely.’ she said and Lincoln knew that it meant _yes_.

It didn’t even hurt that much. He just felt... empty, empty and tired. And to be honest, he didn’t really care in that moment.

‘Okay.’ he said, his guitar suddenly very heavy in his hand. Without sayig anything, he turned around, tired and just wanting to go home.

‘Hey, where are you going? Is everything okay?’ Daisy sounded concerned and Lincoln though that screw it, he could be brave one more time.

‘No.’ he said, turning around and facing her ‘It’s not okay.’

‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, stepping a bit closer.

‘That song was for you, you know.’ Lincoln said and he saw how Daisy froze at his words. But he was determined to say it all, because he knew that he wouldn’t have another chance ‘Or about you.’

Daisy’s lips were slightly parted, her eyes wide open and she looked as if he just hit her.

‘Lincoln...’ she said and her voice was trembling with disbelief and tears ‘You... what are you saying?’

‘I’m saying that I’m in love with you.’ Lincoln said, finally, and there was something releaving in these words.

Daisy shook her head and he spotted tears in her eyes.

‘You can’t be. Lincoln, you... you can’t.’

Well, he had his answer now.

‘That’s okay.’ he said and it was the truth, really. It was fine; he just hated himself for making her cry.

‘It’s not.’ she said, her eyes shining with tears ‘I’m so sorry.’

She shouldn’t be. It was only his fault. He just hoped she knew that.

‘It’s fine.’ he said once again, but his voice was a bit hoarse. He lightly put his hands on her shoulders and kiss her forehead ‘Take care, okay?’

‘But you won’t...’ she didn’t finish but he instantly knew what she was talking about.

‘I won’t leave you.’ he promised; he would never do that ‘But I need some time, okay.’

‘Okay.’ Daisy whispered and Lincoln pulled back and turned around, pretending that he wasn’t running away.

 

* * *

 

 

Lincoln spend the bigger part of his holidays in his parents’ house. Well, he went on a mountaint trip for two weeks but beside that he was wasting his time doing mostly nothing. He had been working his as off for the whole year so it was a well- deserved break.

It seemed that he and Daisy were in good terms; they hadn’t really spoken since Lincoln’s confession but they were writing to each other a few times per week. Lincoln knew that he should be happy but he was missing her like crazy. And nope, not seeing her didn’t help him to fight his feelings- to be honest, they just got stronger. Lincoln had to admit that freaking Nickleback was right, singing that _trying not to love you only makes me love you more_.

 

He came back to his apartment a few days before start of the semester. He wanted to enjoy a few quiet and calm evenings only by himself, but apparently he wasn’t destined to do that. When Lincoln heard loud knocking to the door he already knew who it was.

‘Well, hello there.’ Lance grinned.

‘Good to see you, man.’ Fitz smiled broadly as well.

‘Hi guys. Let me guess, you won’t let me spend the night on watching netflix?’

‘No way.’ Lance shook his head ‘Get ready, we’re going out. A guy’s night, no girls.’ he added and Lincoln felt something like a mixture of relief and disappointment.

‘Why not.’ he shrugged his shoulders.

Five minutes later they were walking down the streets, chatting casually about their holidays.

Lincoln wanted to ask them about Daisy but he didn’t want to show that those weeks of being apart hadn’t helped at all.

At Stanley’s they grabbed their beers and sat down at the table in a close proxomity to the stage, but not too close; it was an open mic night and they didn’t want their ears bleeding because of Johnny.

They continued their talk and Lincoln was grateful that none of them mentioned Daisy; he didn’t even know if she was back yet and maybe that was good, because he kinda wasn’t prepared.

A pretty good guy just finished singing; the stage was behind Lincoln so he had no idea was going to sing next. He heard steps and people started to encourage the performer, who patted the mic slightly; Lincoln could hear as he or she took a deep breath.

‘Hi.’

Lincoln’s heart stopped when he heard Daisy’s voice. He glared at Fitz and Lance but they looked as surprized as he was feeling. So it wasn’t some trap they organized.

‘So, this is my first time performing.’ Daisy said and crowd made even more engouraging noises.

Lincoln still wasn’t able to turn around and look at her.

‘I can’t play guitar, although I tried to learn.’ Daisy admitted, causing a short laugh from the people and Lincoln couldn’r help but feel a bit warm inside.

‘I’m going to sing a special song, for a very special person.’ she added and Lincoln’s heart clenched painfully. Was it possible that... Could she... Was she talking about him? He took a deep breath and turned around, and he met Daisy’s eyes.

God, she was so beautiful it was almost painful. She smiled to him and his heart started beating so fast he was scared it was medically unhealthy.

The crowd went quiet, didn’t want to disturb Daisy during her a capella performance.

_I've been in search of stones_   
_Making up the pavement of less traveled roads_   
_Mining for treasure deep in my bones_   
_That I never found_

She sang and Lincoln almost chuckled, his heart fluttering in his chest.

_Went looking for reverence_   
_Tried to find it in a bottle_   
_And came back again_   
_High on a hash pipe of good intent_   
_But it only brought me down_

He had played that song to her once, maybe a year earlier. He didn’t knew that she remembered.

_Tried institutions of the mind and soul_   
_It only taught me what I should not know_   
_Oh and the answer well who would have guessed_   
_Could be something as simple as this_   
_Something as simple as this_

Lincoln still couldn’t believe that was really happening. Daisy was singing a Jeke Bugg’s song- a really special song- and she was singing it to him.

_Tried liberation of my own free will_   
_But it left me looking to get higher still._   
_Oh and the answer well who would have guessed_   
_Could be something as simple as this_   
_God knows how I could have missed_   
_Something as simple as this_

Daisy jumped off the stage and Lincoln barely had time to stand up before Daisy was right in front of him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close. Her forehead was resting on Lincoln’s shoulder and he just couldn’t stop smiling.

‘So how was Europe?’ he asked, his fingers playing with her hair. It felt so natural, so light, so intimate is if they were alone, and not in the middle of a crowded pub.

‘It sucked.’ Daisy mumbled against his shirt and Lincoln chuckled quietly. Daisy raised her head and looked at him, and suddenly her lips were only inches away from his.

‘I started crying the minute we landed in a fucking Vienna.’ she said and he would probably laugh at her words if she didn’t kiss him in that exact moment and all misery and even hope were gone- there was only love left.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Love you all!


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